Lost and Found
by callosum
Summary: Three ficlets about Zoro's sense of direction, or lack thereof. Zoro/Nami fluffiness warning - seriously! 3rd chapter up: the ol' Nami-gets-sick-and-Zoro-watches-over-her fic.
1. Together Again

**Lost and Found**

**Summary:** A series of ficlets about Zoro's sense of direction, or lack thereof.

**Warnings:** Zoro/Nami fluffiness, possible OOC.

**Spoilers:** for the Sabaody Archipelago arc.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Piece, etc.

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Chapter 1: Together Again**

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Like a shepherd surveying his flock, or a mother watching over her children, Nami let her gaze run over the deck of the Thousand Sunny, checking off each crew member off her mental roster. Yes, they were all there, and a new addition besides. She breathed a sigh of relief. Some of them were slightly the worse for wear - some of them _much_ worse for wear when it came down to it - she glanced down at a certain green-haired injury-magnet of a swordsman - but after all their trials and tribulations, they were back together again. That terrible gnawing fear she'd felt ever since Bartholomew Kuma made her nakama disappear, one by one, was finally gone.

"Go away, woman, you're casting a shadow," grumbled an annoyed voice.

Nami smiled. A few weeks ago, she would have snapped at the irritable swordsman and even hit him, but right now her heart was too full of joy for that. She moved to sit down beside him instead.

He opened one eye to look at her, his expression ever so slightly puzzled.

"You know, I was surprised you made it back to us," the navigator teased. "I thought you wouldn't be able to work out how the Biblicard worked."

Zoro opened his other eye. "Biblicard? What the hell is a Biblicard?"

"You know, the cards Rayleigh-san gave us so we could all find him and the Sunny once he'd finished the coating," she reminded him patiently.

"Oh, that thing? Lost that."

Nami gaped at him. "You...lost it?"

"I guess. Didn't even look for it really. Might be around here somewhere."

"But then...then how did you get back here?"

"I've a better sense of direction than you think, woman," Zoro smirked.

Nami suppressed a chuckle. She didn't have the heart to tell him that they had finally reunited on an island miles and miles away from Sabaody Archipelago, so there was no way his 'good sense of direction' could have helped him rejoin the crew. It was luck, pure and simple, that same devilish luck that had preserved him through situations that would have killed any other man.

She briefly contemplated giving him a lecture on taking better care of other people's things, but he'd already shut his eyes again, and she decided that he looked too peaceful to disturb.

After all, it didn't matter how he'd gotten back in the end. All that mattered was that he was there.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** (I'm stealing dandy wonderous' author's notes format here...)

_they were back together again..._: I'm really on tenterhooks right now to see how the crew's going to get back together. I mean, Robin's all the way out in East Blue! I really hope they get together again safely.

_and a new addition besides..._: Since every major arc tends to end with someone joining the crew, I guess there should be someone new.

_What the hell is a Biblicard?_: I wouldn't be surprised if Zoro gets lost, even with something pointing the way!

_It was luck, pure and simple..._: Nami will find a better solution to this puzzle in a later fic :-)

More about the background of this fic: while I was stuck, and I mean completely stuck, on the Franky & Usopp chapter of _Reactions to a Sacrifice_, I wrote a bunch of ficlets (all too long to be drabbles, I guess some could be considered one-shots) about Zoro's sense of direction, each with a Zoro/Nami angle to them. I decided to just put them up as a single fic since they were all related. They aren't in chronological order and don't necessarily follow one from the other - they can be read completely independently. These were just to get the juices going while I was stuck, so they're kinda lightweight and fluffy. In any case, hope someone enjoys. Please review!

Edited to add: thanks to Pointy2003 for reminding me it was Bartholomew Kuma who scattered the Strawhats, not Kizaru. D'oh!


	2. True Compass

**Lost and Found**

**Summary:** A series of ficlets about Zoro's sense of direction, or lack thereof.

**Warnings:** Zoro/Nami fluffiness, possible OOC.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Piece, etc.

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**Chapter 2: True Compass**

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**

"Nami-san's still not back yet?" Sanji asked, his face a picture of worry.

"Oh no! We - we have to send out search parties!" Chopper squeaked.

"Yes, it is that time of the year, after all," Robin pointed out.

"All right then, let's go," Zoro said. "We'll split up, it's faster that way."

"Er - Zoro, do you think that's wise?" Usopp ventured.

"You might get lost!" Luffy chirped.

"Who are you to tell me that?" Zoro knocked Luffy on the head. "Shut up and let's go already."

"Okay! Operation Find Nami is underway!"

**oooooooooooooooooooo**

"One more," slurred a certain orange-haired navigator, slumped over the counter.

"Are you sure, miss? You've had twenty drinks already..." the bartender said cautiously.

"I can pay for it, just gimme another!" Nami snapped.

"Er - yes, miss! I'll bring it right away!"

"No, don't." The bartender's jaw dropped at the powerful-looking green-haired swordsman who'd just entered the tavern, three swords hanging from his haramaki.

"Roronoa Zoro!" he gasped. Zoro ignored him and turned to Nami.

"C'mon, Nami, let's get going. Everyone's looking for you."

"Zoro? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to take you back, idiot."

"Just - let me - drink - one more..."

"You've had more than enough already. Will you come, or do I have to carry you?"

"Leave me alone! The Log Pose hasn't reset yet, we can't set sail till tomorrow!"

"You'll feel better once you're back with the others," Zoro said firmly. "Let's go."

She knew he was right. She knew she shouldn't drink any more, and that she'd be much happier in the company of the crew than drinking herself senseless, alone in the most obscure bar she could find in the town. But she didn't feel like being reasonable right now. When she thought of Bellemere, she craved the childhood that had been so cruelly taken away from her. She wanted to be a kid again, to be allowed a tantrum, to be held and loved despite it.

"Look, you're not the only one who's lost someone, all right?" he was saying. "There are others who have too...you don't have to suffer alone. Talk to Robin...Chopper...Usopp...hell, you can even talk to me! Just don't do this to yourself, okay?"

"How can you possibly know anything about how I feel?!" she screamed.

"If I don't know, then tell me!"

"It's not something I can put into words!" she yelled in frustration.

Zoro studied her face for a moment. "Then...show me." He took her hand by the wrist and curled her fingers into a fist.

She looked down at her hand, and up at him uncertainly. He nodded encouragingly. She bit her lip and drove her fist into his chest. Again. And again.

He just stood there and let her take out all her rage and grief and resentment on him. She pummelled and punched, tears falling down her cheeks all the while, until the blows began to slow, her breathing grew ragged, and she sank against his chest, sobbing and exhausted.

"Better now?" he asked, his voice curiously gentle.

"I'm sorry," she wept, clinging to his shirt.

"Eh, don't worry about it. You hit like a girl," he smirked.

To his surprise, his taunt wasn't followed by a super-punch. He knew very well she could knock him to the floor if she really put her heart into it. Instead, she looked up at him through tearful eyes: "Zoro?"

"Yeah."

"Your offer from just now - does it still stand?"

Zoro crouched down in response and let her clamber onto his back. When she was in position, he rose to his feet as if she was no weight at all. "Let's go home," he said.

Nami wiped her eyes against the white fabric of his shirt and looked ahead, eyes shining. "Yes!"

Zoro fished out a coin from his pocket and flipped it to the bartender, whose eyes had popped out so far you could see their stalks, and strode out.

The cold night air struck Nami as they left the tavern and she shivered. Zoro's arms immediately tightened around her, and she snuggled herself close to him and laid her cheek against Zoro's broad back. He was so comfortable...though it would be a lot more so if his back wasn't pure hard muscle. His arms hooked under her knees were so sturdy she could have been sitting on a bench. His stride was so even, with just a hint of up-down motion, she could close her eyes and imagine she was back on their ship, bobbing on a calm sea.

Close her eyes she did, and soon her rhythmic breathing told Zoro his passenger was asleep. His lips curled into a smile, and he set off confidently for the harbour.

**oooooooooooooo**

Hours later, Nami awoke and stared around her. She was still on Zoro's back, but...why were they in a forest? And...wading through knee-deep mud?

"Zoro, where the hell are we?"

"On our way back to port, of course!"

"Why would the way back to the port be through a forest? Did you walk through a forest to get to that tavern? Idiot!"

"Oi! Don't knock the person who's carrying you!"

"You wouldn't have to be carrying me by now if you hadn't gotten yourself lost!"

"You're the navigator, you find the way back," he grumbled. Nami sighed and said, "Well, first of all, turn around and follow your trail back out of the woods." Half an hour later, she had them back at the port. Zoro let her off his back around the corner, and when they got to the ship, the others greeted her eagerly.

"Nami! You're back!" Chopper squealed, hopping up and down in excitement.

"Operation Find Nami - success!" Luffy declared.  
"Where have you two BEEN?" Usopp asked. "We've been running around the whole night, looking for you!"

"Sorry, Usopp," Nami giggled, "Zoro got us lost."

Robin merely glanced at Zoro's muddy legs and Nami's pristine ones, and smiled, nodding to Nami in welcome.

"Should've known, shitty marimo," Sanji said. "Why did you have to be the one to find Nami-san anyway?"

Nami stopped short. Why _was_ he the one who'd found her? Out of all the bars in all the town, he'd "just happened" to walk into the remotest, grottiest one? How the heck had someone with as bad a sense of direction as him managed to find the place before everyone else?

Was it just dumb luck? She looked uncertainly at Zoro, currently engaged in defending against Sanji's kicks as they quarrelled. All the times he'd saved her, all the times he'd been there just in time...it had happened too often to be just luck, surely?

Then Nami smiled.

She'd thought of another solution to the puzzle.

Perhaps...perhaps he had an Eternal Pose in his heart, and it pointed directly to her.

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**Author's Note:** Yep, more unabashed fluffiness. I did warn you! So...this was originally supposed to be the fourth of five ficlets, but I wasn't satisfied with the second and third (which are kinda linked) and it's been a while, so I thought I'd put this up first. They were meant to be in gradual levels of Zoro and Nami getting closer, but...well...that kinda got screwed up. Oh well. This might be just three ficlets in the end, unless I get inspiration from a load of reviews or something :-P Anyway, let me know what you think!


	3. Orange Awakening

**Lost and Found**

**Summary:** A series of ficlets about Zoro's sense of direction, or lack thereof.

**Warnings:** Zoro/Nami fluffiness, definitely OOC!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Piece, etc.

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**Chapter 3: Orange Awakening**

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The crew gathered around Nami's bed, their eyes fixed hopefully on their diminutive doctor.

"Chopper? How is she?"

"Well...she should be fine, the fever's broken...but she's in a very deep sleep right now. There's nothing I can do. We'll just have to wait for her to wake up...hopefully," the reindeer said sadly.

"Can't we just wake her up now?" Luffy asked. "We could throw some water on her, or scream in her ears, or..." He was stopped by a punch to the head and a kick in the behind, from the two usual suspects.

"Ow..."

"No, Luffy! She won't wake up just like that...Nami's lost consciousness," Chopper explained, instantly realising that using a word like "consciousness" on Luffy hardly qualified as an explanation.

"WHAT? Nami's LOST?!" Luffy's jaw dropped. Then he whirled around to his First Mate. "Zoro, find her and bring her back!"

"Zoro?"

"Did he say Zoro?"

"Er, Luffy, you mean this Zoro?"

"WHY MARIMO?????"

"Yeah, Zoro!"

"Can't-find-his-way-out-of-a-paper-bag Zoro?"

"Went-around-in-circles-on-Sky-Island-even-though-he-had-a-Southbird-with-him-the-whole-time Zoro?"

"I guess since Nami's not really lost, it doesn't matter even if it is Zoro..."

"BUT WHY SEAWEED-HEAD?????"

"Because she took care of me that last time," Zoro replied. Sanji was about to snap back at him that that hardly meant Nami had to suffer under his 'care', but then he stopped. Zoro wasn't even looking at him. He was looking at Nami, and his expression was a mix of pain and worry, an expression that Sanji had never seen on Zoro's face before. Then Zoro seemed to recollect himself, and he turned a glare on the stupefied cook.

"You better take good care of her," Sanji growled, and stalked out.

"Well, since we're all agreed, Zoro, we'll leave it to you," Luffy said brightly.

"Mm," Zoro grunted his assent. Luffy bounced out, and the others followed, with various degrees of concerned murmuring. Chopper paused for a moment to give some last-minute instructions, which basically consisted of "call me if anything changes".

"I've got it," Zoro insisted. "Leave it to me." So Chopper left too, and Zoro pulled up a chair by Nami's bed, sat down, and...waited.

**..............**

This waiting was familiar. Too familiar. In this room...well, not this one precisely, for that had been another time and another ship, but by this bed, and by her side. _Dammit, Nami, you get sick way too often._

_She's only gotten sick twice on your watch,_ another voice in his head said, but Zoro dismissed it. Once was already too often.

He hated this. Seeing her lying down, eyes closed...a sheet of cloth over his face and he would be faced with the scene from his worst nightmares. Nami was strong, he knew, strong enough to stand up to the pirates who had killed her mother, strong enough to roam the seas alone collecting money to redeem her village, strong enough to keep her dream alive throughout her ordeal, strong enough to rival even Kuina. But that was the worst thing about girls, that they could be so strong - and so fragile.

And all he could do was wait.

All he could do back then, was wait. Then they'd finally reached land, and the waiting had stopped, replaced by another obstacle - the people of Drum Island, training their guns on the Going Merry, fearful of pirates. He'd fingered the hilts of his katana, ready to wipe them all out if they didn't produce a doctor NOW, and then Vivi had actually been shot, and he was ready to wipe them all out RIGHT NOW, doctor or no, but Vivi had persuaded them to try a different approach.

He'd watched as Vivi and Luffy knelt before the natives, begging them to let Nami see a doctor...and he hadn't objected, even though he'd sworn never to follow any man who'd let others walk over him...but this was for the sake of one of his nakama, and he hadn't minded. He knew that if Vivi and Luffy hadn't moved the townspeople's hearts, he'd have been ready and willing to lay down his pride and join them. But Zoro was all about economy. He never overplayed his cards. He always used precisely the amount of persuasion needed, upping his game when the occasion demanded. And in this case he hadn't needed to bring himself out as a reserve.

And then he realised what he'd been thinking - he, Roronoa Zoro, the man who would become the greatest swordsman in the world, had actually been willing to humble himself...and all for the sake of a girl? A girl who wasn't even the reason he made that promise in the first place?

Pathetic.

It was lucky no one saw how red his face had gone, because they'd been preoccupied with other things, though he supposed that even if they had, he could blame it on the cold.

So he'd volunteered to stay and guard the ship. He had a mission to accomplish, and it wouldn't do for his mind to wander. It was time for some super-intensive training. And the winter island was perfect for it.

It had taken some work to quiet his mind down. It was difficult to get into a meditative mood while he was cursing at himself for his weakness, for being unable to protect Vivi and Nami against Mr. 3, and he was sure that had something to do with Nami's illness now. Finally he sternly told himself that Luffy was there, and Luffy would never let Nami die, and he managed to focus.

Many things had happened in between, but the first thing Nami had done when they met again was to hit him, which gave him some hope that everything would go back to normal. But as time went on, she became less and less "the money-grubbing witch" or "the orange-haired navigator" or "the conniving pirate thief". His tongue might slip into old habits and call her "witch" or "woman", but in his mind she'd become just "Nami". His nakama. His friend. Someone he was determined to protect, even at the cost of his life and his dream.

His gaze returned to her flushed face, and his fists clenched as he comprehended his utter helplessness. She was in a place where his swords, no matter how powerful, could not protect her. Even if he were willing to die for her sake, that wouldn't bring her back. He couldn't even beg someone for help. There was no one to beg, no one to plead to. There was no one stopping them from seeing a doctor - they had Chopper now. There was no doctor to beg to heal Nami, because Zoro knew Chopper had done his best, and if Chopper had done his best then no doctor in the world could do any better. Zoro didn't believe in gods, and even if he had, he wouldn't trust them to do the right thing. That left only one person he could plead with.

"Oi, Nami. You've gotta come back, y'hear?"

**..............**

Nami blinked uncertainly at the ceiling. "Where am I?" she wondered. Last she remembered, she'd been out shopping, and then the market had started spinning around her, and she'd been caught by a strong pair of hands, and a worried face appeared above her, saying, "Nami? Oi, Nami, what's wrong?" And everything after that was a blank...

Then she looked around, and she realised she was back in her room, with all its familiar furniture - and one unfamiliar addition.

Zoro was sitting against the wall, swords cradled in one arm, asleep. But as soon as her gaze fell on him, his eyes opened. "How are you feeling?" he asked shortly, his curtness hiding the relief washing over him.

Nami thought for a moment, then said, "Better."

"Good." Zoro stood up and yawned and stretched.

"Zoro...why are you here?"

Zoro grinned. "You owe me 50,000 beli in 'nursing fees'."

"That little? Okay."

Zoro's grin turned instantly into a frown. "You really _are_ sick."

As if to underline his words, Nami started coughing up a fit.

"Lie back down. You shouldn't be up yet. I'll go call Chopp-" She put a hand out to catch his, and he stopped mid-stride.

"No - no, I just need some fresh air," Nami rasped. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, but before she could get to her feet, he'd picked her up in his strong arms and was carrying her outside.

She gasped at the sight that greeted her on deck, and she forgot to cough. The sun was peeping out over the horizon, a giant orb throwing its dazzling rays of orange against the black sky and sea. They watched in silent appreciation as it rose higher and higher, turning night into day.

Nami turned to look at Zoro, and was surprised to find him already looking down at her. "See what you would have missed, if you'd stayed asleep?" he asked.

Was he...teasing her? Well, two could play at that game. "That's rich, coming from you, sleepy-head," Nami retorted with a grin.

There was a pause, then she said, "I heard you calling for me."

A pink dusting appeared on Zoro's cheeks, but perhaps it was a trick of the morning light.

"Thanks for bringing me back."

"Captain's orders," Zoro said dryly, but the relief in his eyes and the warmth in his voice said something very different. Nami smiled, and followed his gaze out to the magnificent sunrise and the awakening of a new day.

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**Author's Note:** Didn't really feel like working on my other fics so I present some Zoro/Nami fluff instead. Yeah, it's OOC, but it's hard writing completely in-character Zoro romance anyway. Hope you enjoy it!


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